The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1887-01-05

were seen dnyWnere III inc war Out VI Lou-
isiana.
We passed through the village of Patter-
sonville toward evening. and biyouacked
that night in the fields beyond. Many of
the soldiers went down to the bayou for n
wash, and, considering the clouds of dust
and torrid heats through which we labored
for the next week, it was not at all amiss.
The camps were astir in good time the
next morning, and, after coffee and hard
| tack, the march was resumed. Some ex-
citing incidents occurred before our lines
| fairly got in range of the enemy's works.
| A mounted officer, with glass, thought he
| observed some indications of a reconnois-
sance in the neighborhood of large sugar
| house, far up the road. A section of one
| of our batteries was brought up to the head
| of our column and q she'll sent screeching
| over it. A dozen men were seen, by the
glass, to run out of the building, mount
| their horses, which were fastened near by,
and ride off at gallop.
Further on, round-shot was sent at
some suspicious appearances, and plainly
saw it strike large house. When our col
umn reached this place there was halt,
! and was one of several who entered the
house TO observe the effects of this shot.
They were melancholy to behold The
missile had crashed completely through
| the building, Just under the second floor,
| tearing off bushels of lath and plastering,
and scattering them over the long table
! which had been set for dinner. One of
| the negroes told us that the family were
! inst seated at the board when this unwel-
come messenger came, and that they all
| fled in panic across the bayou.
BY the middle of this afternoon it was
| evident that we were getting upon danger
| 70 oil Gil
in line; we often halted, for cautious
Reconnaissance; our gunboats in the bayou
threw an occasional shell. Before sunset
we were advancing only in line, soaring up
| n queer flight of rabbits rats, and snakes
before us. Never having been in action,
| though had been eighteen months in the
service, and not then understanding the
| situation as / did afterward these move
ments somewhat puzzled me, while it was
very picturesque sight TO see the brigade
which had the advance moving by several
regimental lines over the fields, banners
! fying. and musket- barrels shining. 1t
| looked decidedly pretty, and 1 thought 1t
only needed the burst and swell of military
music to make it very like what is called
"the poInp and circumstance of glorious
war" The sun was down, and twilight
had come on while this march in line was
proceeding. All of n sudden there came
the roar of two cannon In quick succession,
the balls flying high overhead; and Mt the
signal the enemy opened on us from swamp
| to BAYOU. From the noise, the smoke and
the dust that followed, | should say that
there were fully twenty-five guns engaged
on their side. We were well in range; in
fact, believe that had they opened on us
half an hour sooner they would have done
better execution. As it was, as it generally
is with distant artillery fire, most of their
missiles flew high overhead.
One-h of all the error and confusion
that has arisen out of the discussions re-
lating to battles of this war proceeds from
the fact that soldiers will persist in at
nor heard personally. The area of almost
anv battle which the man with the musket
| his Captain, or even his Colonel, can see
! is a very limited one, and so it was at Bis
| land. The things that | saw and heard
| there / will describe; those that l neither
| saw nor heard, others may tell of. When
| that amazing uproar broke out far In front
of us, and the air seemed filled with things
| that Kissed. whistled. screeched, and
hummed, the line halted; the soldiers
stopped from intuition, without orders. A
| great noise behind us arose ut the same
| time, and glanced back to see what ii was.
saw that Carruths Massachusetts Battery
had gallopel up, and was Numbering just
| in our rear. At that instant one of the
| battery horses flew all to pieces. in a way
that seemed perfectly inexplicable. The
animal had been struck by n shell, and
scattered in every direction. Right before
our line ran one of the great plantation
| bitches, full seven feet deep. that cross
| this country Somcbodv-I suppose il was
| General Weitzel, our brigade commander
was heard 10 shout above the tumult, Let
the infantry lie down." We did not need
| to be told twice. About three thousand
men got into that ditch with great prompt
ness; and lying there for the next hour,
| legs, arms, muskets. and bodies in consd-
cradle of a tangle, had fine opportunity
! for reflection.
My own thoughts took a ridiculous aspect
of the situation. | had wished TO par
ticipate in a battle. just as all green
| soldiers do. / had pictured it all
out in my own mind, how it would
| be-the great volleys of musketry that
we should discharge. perhaps the bayonet-
| charge that we should make-the big things
we should DO, generally. Well-here we
were, in a batile-lyipg in great ditch,
while the artillery of both sides was fight
ing over us!
My impressions of that hour need not
be lengthy. Fifty pieces of cannon make
| n great noise, and the continual bursting of
shells in the air, and humming of round
shot, give the thing variety, but do not
lessen IL any. The Captain of the battery
| just behind us made about all the noise
himself that | thought necessary, and con-
tinually yelled and swore at his men, as
though they were not doing all that men
could. BY and by / became conscious of g
movement along the ditch on our right;
soldiers seemed to be climbing out; and,
correctly supposing that there were orders
to do SO, our officers repeated the order.
| We got out on the same side that we got in.
Carruths battery was limbering up and
| going to the rear; we were ordered TO form
line and follow. We did so with some con-
fusion, the enemy's balls still cutting tho
air overhead, and one blowing up the dirt
uncomfortably near our left. We retired
about half a mile over the fields and pre-
| pared to bivouac for the night.
The first impression, that we had been in
battle and got whipped, was soon dissi-
pated. We had merely been feeling" Of
the enemy; had drawn their fire, developed
their position, and in the morning should
go back and open the fight in earnest.
Here We lay in our blankets all night, in
darkness; fires could not be allowed in
such a situation. recall two incidents of
the time: One was the receipt of a large
| mail, out of which we were compelled 10
read our letters from home by the ftful